RECORD: 8-3

If you ever want to drive yourself crazy, go on Twitter and seek out conversations among horseplayers centering around takeout and breakage. If you winced reading those terms, you’re not alone. These conversations will leave you with headaches if you’re not careful.

There are very few things worse on horse racing Twitter than people who complain about takeout and then don’t play sequences with low takeout. This is why I feel it important to remind you that Sam Houston Race Park just started its 2020 season. In addition to its announcer’s booth housing good friend Chris Griffin, its wagering menu boasts an ultra-low takeout of 12% on multi-race exotics (such as the Pick Five and Pick Four).

If these pools are robust, other tracks are going to notice, and it could create a much-improved environment for horseplayers. Canterbury Park tried drastically-reduced takeouts once, and that didn’t take, for whatever reason. I’m going to be looking at these races and taking shots when I have some confidence. If you’re a takeout hawk, and you’re serious about putting your money where your mouth is, you should, too.

Oh, and Saturday night went pretty well for me, too.

It was a fun, profitable evening playing @SHRP. The late Pick Five and Pick Four, which I hit on AAAAB and AAAB tickets respectively, combined to return a nice chunk of change (almost $258) on a reasonable investment ($28). Hope you hit, too.

Moral of the story: I’ll be back! pic.twitter.com/D7lMxnnRiF

— Andrew Champagne (@AndrewChampagne) January 12, 2020

SATURDAY’S RESULT: Villanova and Georgetown made me sweat the total a bit. However, while Villanova’s offense looked rejuvenated in the win, the Hoyas struggled just enough to bring the total to 146, which meant my “under 147.5” play was a winner.

SUNDAY’S PLAY: It’s back to the NFL for me, and I’ll focus on the first game in Sunday’s playoff doubleheader. The Kansas City Chiefs host the Houston Texans and are favored by 9.5 points. That’s not a small spread, but I think Houston’s playing with house money at this point. Add in that the Chiefs are at home and have enjoyed a week of rest, and I think they’re going to be very tough to stop. I’ll give the points with KC and hope it doesn’t come back to bite me.